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Mr. James R. (Jim) Nix, 95, left this world to go home to be with his Redeemer, Jesus Christ, on July 17, 2020.

Jim was born on May 17, 1925, to Ernest D. and Annie Duncan Nix in the crossroads community of Lowell, Georgia.

Jim was educated in public schools at Lowell, Georgia, West Point, Roopville, Georgia, Chattahoochee, Florida; and graduated from Robert E. Lee High School, Jacksonville, Florida. He attended North Georgia Military College; the University of Georgia; and Alabama Polytechnic Institute (Auburn University), where he graduated in 1949 with a B.S. in Business Administration.

His college education was somewhat interrupted with a two year plus service to his country in the U.S. Navy, as a RM 3/c, in World War II. He was schooled in the Navy Class A Radio School, Navy Radio Tech School, and Navy Signal School. He then served aboard the Amphibious Personnel Assault Ship (APA 197) USS Lubbock, with campaigns to Iwo Jima, where he saw the historic raising of the Stars and Stripes flags and Okinawa, where he witnessed Kamikaze attacks.

After returning to West Point from the war, he sought out his childhood crush, Dorothy Anne Davidson, and declared his love for her. They married on March 22, 1947, and were married for 61 years. They lived the majority of their life together in West Point.

Jim gave his life to Jesus Christ at the tender age of 6 years old, but heard older adults say, “He didn’t know what he was doing,” so he wandered in the “world” for 30 years. At 36 years old he was spiritually “Born Again” in the yard of his business, The Slack Shack. He was taught by the Holy Spirit the Word of God and called into his Service as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Jim immediately began to witness to the saving grace of Jesus Christ and the Lord caused many to be saved and some were called to full time ministry. He was privileged to minister in Alabama and Georgia prisons and also coordinated Lay Witness

Missions throughout the Southern States. He visited Haiti and saw a witch doctor turn to Christ through his ministry with Men for Missions, a layman’s arm of the Oriental Missionary Society, whom he and his wife, Dot, supported for 50 years.

He was a member of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship Internationaland also served as a Gideon, distributing Bibles. As a lay speaker, he served as a lay pastor of several Alabama and Georgia United Methodist churches. Throughout Jim’s ministry, he worked with alcoholics and drug addicts in conjunction with The Salvation Army as a local board member.

As secretary of the Junior Chamber of Commerce, he and the late Buck Hill raised $40,000 to build the West Point Gymnasium. He also served West Point Public Schools as president of the P.T.A. and as a member of the Board of Education. He was a Boy Scout and later served as a Scoutmaster, Troop 3, West Point, and as a Cub Scout Commissioner.

Jim’s first business was a concession stand on the Auburn Campus in 1939, where his father, Ernest D. Nix, Superintendent of Batson-Cook Company, built the first 7,500 seats of the Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Jim learned good business practices through his work experience in several managerial positions with Sears-Roebuck and Company; U.S. Rubber Company; B.F. Goodrich; Texas Oil Company; and the Humble Oil Esso Bulk Plant.

Known throughout the Valley as “The Slack Shack Man,” Jim was involved in numerous business and community ventures.

At age 86, he was named Keep Troup Beautiful Man of the Year for his creation of the Friendship Community Garden and Keep Georgia Beautiful Man of the Year for the same project. In 2018, he provided and had dedicated, a memorial, located in the J. Smith Lanier Park, to the men from West Point, who died in service during World War II. Jim was a member of American Legion Post 141. He loved music, gardening, nutrition, reading, and writing- filling numerous notebooks with plans and ideas!

What a journey- from the cotton patches of Carroll County, Georgia, to the pinnacles of the Most High God!

In addition to his parents, Jim was preceded in death by his wife, Dorothy Davidson Nix; his oldest sister, Ernestine (Bill) McGregor, Anderson, South Carolina; his brother, Wendell Lloyd Nix, a pilot in the US Army Air Corps, killed in an air crash in WWII; younger sister, Lina Anne Nix; infant son, John Davidson Nix; and infant grandson, Trenton Hunter Nix;  and son-in-law, the Rev. Doctor David Hendrix.

Jim is survived by daughter Nanci Nix Hendrix Rieder and husband John, of LaGrange, Georgia; daughter, Marie Nix Dixon and husband, Frank, of Camilla, Georgia; son, James Nathan Nix and wife, Sherri Lynn Sanders Nix, of Lanett; seven grandchildren-Sally Hendrix Spano and husband James, of Savannah, Georgia; Mark Hendrix and wife Mary, of LaGrange, Georgia; Shealy Dixon, Frank Dixon, Jr. and wife, Katie Jo, and Joseph Dixon, all of Camilla, Georgia; Carley Nix Maynard and husband, Tony, of Gibsonville, North Carolina; Tri Nix and girlfriend Hayley Vickers, of Lanett; eight great -grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews; and scores of cousins including special cousin, Jean Nix Archer Anderson, of Dahlonega, Georgia.

In Jim’s words, “I am a maverick.” He truly was, but he was God’s maverick! Known affectionately as “Pop” to many younger people, he never met a stranger, nor missed an opportunity to share the Gospel. Jim never stopped thinking of new ideas-his children teased him about being a “doctor, lawyer, Indian Chief”! Perhaps you were fortunate to receive one of his Scripture Rocks. He will be missed as a man of greatintegrity and wisdom. Truly, he was one of the Greatest Generation. His family rejoices as they visualize him and Mama Dot jitterbugging on the streets of gold!

The family especially appreciates his devoted nurse caregiver, Tracy Bufford and the excellent care given by nurse Carol Roberts and his Affinis Hospice team.

Due to the limitations of the current pandemic, there will be no formal visitation. A private graveside memorial will be held at a later date at Marseilles Cemetery in West Point. Those wishing to make memorial contributions, may do so to the charity of your choice.